Nov 04 Oregon leads the way in decriminalizing hard drugs By Andrew Selsky, Associated Press In a first in the nation, Oregon has rejected charging drug users with criminal offenses, with voters passing a ballot measure that decriminalizes possession of heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone and other hard drugs. Continue reading
Jul 13 Activists seek to decriminalize ‘magic’ mushrooms in D.C. By Ashraf Khalil, Associated Press Despite pandemic conditions that made normal signature-gathering almost impossible, activists in Washington, D.C., say they have enough signatures for a November ballot initiative that would decriminalize natural psychedelics such as certain mushrooms. Continue reading
Jul 18 Thousands of Philippine police punished for their role in deadly drug raids By Jim Gomez, Associated Press A total of 2,367 police officers have been fired, 4,100 suspended while the rest were reprimanded, demoted, had their salaries forfeited or deprived of certain privileges. Continue reading
Jun 21 Federal officials seize 35,000 pounds of cocaine at Philadelphia port By Associated Press Federal authorities said the seizure, which they value at $1.1 billion, is the largest cocaine haul in the history of U.S. Customs. Continue reading
Feb 12 After El Chapo conviction, Sinaloa drug cartel carries on By Maria Verza, Mark Stevenson, Associated Press Heaping bags of fentanyl and plastic tubs of crystal meth, heroin and cocaine offer no sign that the cartel has been weakened, lost sway over its traditional territory in northwestern Mexico or seen its international reach curtailed. Continue reading
Sep 29 The end of HIV transmission in the U.S.: A once-unthinkable dream becomes an openly discussed goal By Helen Branswell, STAT The struggle against HIV may be undergoing a sea change. Continue reading
Jun 16 Have you found prescriptions cost less if you don’t use your insurance? Tell us your story. By Megan Thompson The PBS NewsHour Weekend reporting team is gathering stories about the high cost of prescription drugs and patients’ experiences at the pharmacy. Continue reading
Apr 30 Watch 7:40 How an opioid addiction can eat your heart alive By Kay Colby, ideastream The pathway to deadly heart infections for people addicted to opioids often begins with a dirty needle or polluted drug. Special correspondent Kay Colby of Ideastream reports on a little-known problem with big consequences for patients and society as a… Continue watching
Feb 11 Watch 3:29 OxyContin maker Purdue will stop selling doctors on opioids By PBS News Hour Amid several lawsuits that accuse manufacturing giant Purdue Pharma of contributing to the country’s opioid epidemic, the company announced Saturday it will cut sales staff by more than half and stop marketing opioids to doctors. Reporter Lev Facher, who wrote… Continue watching
Feb 10 On drug costs, modest steps follow Trump’s big promises By Matthew Perrone, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press As a candidate, Trump advocated Medicare negotiations and he called for allowing consumers to import lower-priced medicines from abroad. But the White House strategy paper veers away from such dramatic steps. Continue reading